Make sure you stay around to watch your kids grow up. Besides eating healthy and exercising daily, make sure your health is in tip-top shape. Make the appointment and get screened. Man up and wear the gown!

A great addition to your statistics library is the revival of the "Statistical Atlas of United States," freshly updated with current day by Dr. Nathan Yau. The presentation reminds me of just how much we have lost over the years, and I would love to see more documents written up like this. It would sure make reading about statistics a guilty pleasure.

Regarding verticals or genres: Although every generation is engaged the most in the entertainment vertical, each generation had its own unique preference for others.

Millennials held a strong lead in technology at 19 percent 71 percent more than Baby Boomers.

Baby Boomers lead in world news and politics at 18 and 12 percent respectively its biggest win coming from the politics vertical, with 120 percent more Baby Boomers reading about politics than Millennials.

Gen Xers held its strongest lead in healthy living at 13 percent while also nabbing the top spot in the personal finance and parents verticals.

The least popular vertical for Millennials was style, whereas Gen Xers and Baby Boomers equally engaged the least in both the environment and style verticals."

"When it comes to which device each generation uses to consume content, computers are still king. The most popular device for each generation is a laptop at least 35 percent of each generation shares this preference followed by desktops.

However, the biggest distinction is in portable devices: More than 25 percent of Millennials use their mobiles as their primary source for content, and out of those who use a tablet as their primary device, nearly 40 percent are Baby Boomers.

More than 50 percent of respondents who primarily use mobile devices for content are Millennials.

Baby Boomers use laptops the most 43 percent 20 percent more than Millennials.

More than 115 percent more Millennials are using their mobile devices compared to Baby Boomers."

June 16, 2015 - The 31-second Attention Span, and How to Stay on Track Anyway

"Here is the typical pattern of a student who is supposed to be studying but gets distracted all the time. In blue, we see schoolwork. In red, Facebook and other social media."

According to "Why your brain wants to check Facebook every 31 seconds and how you can stop it,"

"There is plenty of scientific work on how long it takes before we can concentrate again after being interrupted (almost 15 minutes!).

...students estimate that they can concentrate on their work for about five minutes at a time. If a five minute attention span seems awfully short, the experiment described above showed that in reality students on average concentrate on a task for about 31 seconds.

Facebook use is a key contributor to and initiator of task switching and multitasking behavior.

...our brain wants to check Facebook every 31 seconds, even though it knows that it shouldn't. Which leads to the question: can you stop your brain from wanting to check social media? Fortunately, yes. Here are five scientific insights about multitasking that will help you stay on task longer and finish your to-do list on time:

Hack your own laziness: make it a tiny bit harder to access Facebook and other distractions;

Start with the hard stuff. We also tend to stay longer with a task if it's difficult. That's because we know that difficult work requires our creativity and is fragile.

Try to feel excited about the tasks you need to finish

Think consciously about what your priorities are. Be aware that research shows that once you do start scrolling mindlessly on Instagram, it's hard to break away from it.

Disable distracting notifications on your apps, especially if they go ding. Adding a visual reminder to a task increases the chances that you will switch to this task by 30 percent. If the reminder also says ding, ping, or chirp it becomes even more effective at catching your attention: add another 12 percent to the chance you will switch tasks."

According to "The psychology behind Web browsing," Web visitors have expectations when browsing that they feel the need to manage. This comes from the perpetual inundation of data coming from everywhere and everything. Developing expectations helps us to manage the stress of dealing with new things. Thus, the current approach to Web site development is to simplify the structure so that it is easy to follow and navigate.

This is nothing totally new but it does raise the issue of dealing with stress in still another part of our lives. In the end, how we deal with stress contributes to our quality of life. For more information about stress and how to manage it, see Stress

Self-reported adult smoking peaked in 1954 at 45%, and remained at 40% or more through the early 1970s, but has since gradually declined. The average rate of smoking across the decades fell from 40% in the 1970s to 32% in the 1980s, 26% in the 1990s, and 24% since 2000.

Cigarette smoking is more prevalent among younger adults (18 to 49 years) than among older adults and seniors, something Gallup has seen consistently over the years. Thirty percent of 18- to 29-year-olds and 26% of those 30 to 49 say they had a cigarette in the past week. This contrasts with only 17% of those 50 to 64 and 9% of those 65 and older.

A major reason for the difference in smoking rates by age is that many older Americans have quit the habit. For nearly every current smoker in the 30- to 49-year age bracket, there is another who says he or she used to smoke. Among those 50 to 64, the ratio of former smokers to current smokers is nearly 2-to-1, while among those 65 and older it swells to more than 5-to-1.

As a result, a greater proportion of seniors have "ever" smoked (56%), compared with young adults (42%).

Presumably, the older age brackets would include even more current and former smokers relative to the younger age brackets, if not for the disproportionately higher rate of deaths among older Americans because of tobacco use.

Smoking rates have been coming down for about the past quarter century, and recent Gallup polling suggests they have continued to drop in just the past few years. About one in five Americans today say they smoke cigarettes, down from about one in four at the start of the decade.

Although most smokers feel they are addicted to cigarettes, that fact that so many older adults have reportedly succeeded in quitting should give young smokers who want to quit the encouragement to try."

According to PEW Research May 20, 2015's "Americans Attitudes About Privacy, Security and Surveillance"

"Online service providers are among the least trusted entities when it comes to keeping information private and secure. When asked about search engine providers, online video sites, social media sites and online advertisers, the majority felt not too confident or not at all confident that these entities could protect their data:

76% of adults say they are not too confident or not at all confident that records of their activity maintained by the online advertisers who place ads on the websites they visit will remain private and secure.

69% of adults say they are not confident that records of their activity maintained by the social media sites they use will remain private and secure.

66% of adults say they are not confident that records of their activity maintained by search engine providers will remain private and secure.

66% say they are not confident that records of their activity collected by the online video sites they use will remain private and secure."

"Young users are particularly likely to use a smartphone to avoid boredom and ignore other people

Younger Users More Likely to Use Their Phone for Preventing Boredom, Avoiding Others, Getting Somewhere

Younger users stand out especially prominently when it comes to using their phone for two purposes in particular: avoiding boredom, and avoiding people around them.

Fully 93% of 18-29 year old smartphone owners in the experience sampling study used their phone at least once to avoid being bored, with respondents in this age group reporting that they did so in average of 5.4 surveys over the one-week study period.

Similarly, 47% of young smartphone owners used their phone to avoid interacting with the people around them at least once during the study period, roughly three times the proportion of older smartphone owners who did so.

Smartphones frequently inspire their owners to feel productive and happy but can also lead to distraction and frustration

When it comes to the emotions that people experience as a result of having a smartphone, productive and happy lead the way 79% and 77% of smartphone owners, respectively, indicated that their phone made them feel this way at least once over the course of the study period.

But smartphones do not always inspire positive feelings, as 57% of smartphone owners reported feeling distracted thanks to their phone, and 36% reported that their phone made them feel frustrated.

Younger smartphone owners tend to experience a wider range of these emotions compared with older users they are more likely to report feeling positive emotions like happy or grateful, but also more likely to report negative emotions like distracted and angry.

"Users view smartphones as freeing, connecting, helpful, and usually worth the cost but not always essential

Despite Clear Benefits, 54% of Smartphone Owners Say Their Phone is Not Always Neededbut 46% Say it is Something They Couldn't Live Without

... a substantial majority of smartphone owners feel that these devices are helpful rather than annoying,connecting rather than distracting, and that they represent freedom rather than a leash.

At the same time, smartphone owners are relatively divided on the essential necessity of mobile connectivity: 54% say that their phone is not always needed, while 46% say that it is something they couldn't live without.

And while a substantial 80% majority of smartphone owners describe their phone as worth the cost, 19% and 29% of those who pay more than $200 per month for service describe it as a financial burden.

"Smartphone owners of all kinds use their phone to help navigate numerous important life events; lower income and smartphone-dependent users are especially likely to use their phone for job and employment resources

More than Half of Smartphone Owners Have Used Their Phone to get Health Information, do Online BankingSmartphones are used for much more than calling, texting, or basic internet browsing.

Users are turning to these mobile devices as they navigate a wide range of life events:

62% of smartphone owners have used their phone in the past year to look up information about a health condition.

57% have used their phone to do online banking.

44% have used their phone to look up real estate listings or other information about a place to live.

43% to look up information about a job.

40% to look up government services or information.

30% to take a class or get educational content.

18% to submit a job application.

Lower-income smartphone owners are especially likely to use their phone during a job search. Compared with smartphone owners from households earning $75,000 or more per year, those from households earning less than $30,000 annually are nearly twice as likely to use a smartphone to look for information about a job and more than four times as likely to use their phone to actually submit a job application.

Similarly, smartphone-dependent users are much more likely to use their smartphones to access career opportunities.

63% of these smartphone-dependent users have gotten job information on their phone in the last year, and 39% have used their phone to submit a job application.

Young adults (85% of whom are smartphone owners) are also incorporating their mobile devices into a host of information seeking and transactional behaviors.

About three-quarters of 18-29 year old smartphone owners have used their phone in the last year to get information about a health condition; about seven-in-ten have used their phone to do online banking or to look up information about job; 44% have consumed educational content on their phone; and 34% have used their phone to apply for a job."

"Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, killing 292,188 women in 2009 that's 1 in every 4 female deaths.

Although heart disease is sometimes thought of as a "man's disease," around the same number of women and men die each year of heart disease in the United States. Despite increases in awareness over the past decade, only 54% of women recognize that heart disease is their number 1 killer.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for African American and white women in the United States. Among Hispanic women, heart disease and cancer cause roughly the same number of deaths each year. For American Indian or Alaska Native and Asian or Pacific Islander women, heart disease is second only to cancer.

About 5.8% of all white women, 7.6% of black women, and 5.6% of Mexican American women have coronary heart disease.

Almost two-thirds (64%) of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. Even if you have no symptoms, you may still be at risk for heart disease.

The CDC has been compiling leading causes of death in females almost annually since 1998.

Overall, heart disease (23.5%) is the leading cause of death, followed by cancer (22.1%). This is not necessarily true for all women of color. Heart disease is only the leading cause of death for white and black females. Cancer is the leading cause of death for American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander and Hispanic females!

While, overall, stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death for females, this is only true for African-American, Hispanic &amp Asian women, while it is the 7th cause of death for American Indian/Alaskan Native women, and the 4th for white women, following chronic lower respiratory disease, probably due to smoking.

Such mortality data indicate the importance of looking at such disparities by race and ethnicity as it helps to identify areas that may be missed by just looking at the overall population. For example, tobacco cessation messages may need to target white women more, while encouraging cancer screening among women of color would help to reduce the greater cancer mortality among these women.

June 2, 2015 - A Timeline of CDC/ATSDR Contributions to Women's Health

Graphic source: http://www.cdc.gov/women/contributions/index.htm

Want an overview of public health issues affecting U.S. women today? Well, then check out the timeline the CDC and ATSDR have developed to document what they have done to improve the quality of women's lives.

Binge Drinking: A Serious, Under-Recognized Problem Among Women and Girls;

Show Your Love Campaign designed to improve the health of women and babies by promoting preconception health and health care;

The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 2010 Findings on Victimization by Sexual Orientation: Nearly 1 in 3 lesbians (29.4%), 1 in 2 bisexual women (49.3%), and 1 in 4 heterosexual women (23.6%) experienced at least one form of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in her lifetime;

How Did Cause of Death Contribute to Racial Differences in Life Expectancy in the United States in 2010? Life expectancy for black females was 3.3 years lower than that of white females. This difference was due to higher death rates for black females for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, perinatal conditions, and stroke.

Are women getting enough physical activity? Not really. According to HRSA's Women's Health USA 2013, only 16.6% of women had adequate aerobic and strengthening activity. But, women did better with aerobic than with strengthening activity. Regardless of aerobic activity, strengthening activity or both, percentage of participation increased with increased years of education.

Do women love sweet stuff? They certainly do. When it comes to sweetened beverages, they are not as bad as men, but the percentages are way too high. Overall, 43.2% of women drink sweetened beverages. For women 18 - 24 years of age, 59.1% do, and 48.5% of women 25 - 44 years of age do, with 40.8% of women 45 -64 years of age. Way too many calories are consumed this way, which is probably why there is an obesity epidemic now.

Here is a pie chart showing where all this added sugar is coming from:

Do women drink alcohol excessively? They certainly do. According to HRSA's Women's Health USA 2013, sadly, over a third (37.7%) of women age 18 to 25 years binge drink, while another 11.4% can be classified as drinking heavily. That means that 49.1%, or about 1/2 of women 18 to 25 years of age are drinking way too much.

According to August 27, 2014's "Underemployment, College Majors, Compensation And Gender":

"A survey found 48% of the respondents identified as underemployed.

Compensation was a leading factor.

It is not just liberal arts and general studies that are identified as underemployed.

There seems to be a gender dimension to the issue as well.

...modern economy simply does not need as many full time workers as it has in the past.

Underemployed refers to the feeling that one's job did not put their education or experience to work as much as they should.

Some ostensibly more practical majors, like criminal justice and business management graduates, identify themselves as underemployed in greater numbers than liberal arts or general studies. PayScale survey found 43% of the respondents felt underemployed and poor pay was a leading factor.

PayScale found that nine of the ten most underemployed majors were dominated by women. Underemployment may be, at least partly, a function of the gender wage gap.

Georgetown University Center on Education and Workforce survey found that the least underemployed majors were dominated by men. And men overwhelmingly dominated the highest paid majors.

Among the ten least paid majors, women dominate nine.

Sommers argued that the gender wage gap does not really exist. She argues that it is a question of life choices. In particular she states, "Much of the wage gap can be explained away by simply taking account of college majors." We suspect the situation is more complicated and the causal links are not clear."

Are women being underpaid? You betcha. According to HRSA's Women's Health USA 2013, women earn less at every educational level, when compared to men. And, the pay disparity gets worse with greater educational attainment. How about equal pay for equal work?

This inequity in pay is magnified when statistics show that 31.2% of families living below the poverty level are households headed by a single mother vs. only 16.1% headed by a single father.

Do women favor certain disciplines in higher education? They certainly do. According to HRSA's Women's Health USA 2013, women earn the majority of bachelor degrees in the health professions, followed by education. Only a small number choose to go into engineering and computer sciences.

Women who study business believe it will give them a practical edge, says Judy Touchton, founder and CEO of Womenleadersmove.com, a consultancy for women in higher education. Women are choosing business majors because they, often guided by their parents, think they will be more likely to find jobs after college In this economy, practicality reigns.

Still, a business degree does not insure against the income gap. A woman one year out of college and working full time typically earns only 80% as much as her male counterparts. Why? According to the AAUW's 2007 Behind the Pay Gap report, women with business degrees are twice as likely as men with similar degrees to enter administrative, clerical or support positions earlier in their career. On the other hand, men with a business degree are more likely to enter management positions.

According to the results of the TODAY/AOL Ideal to Real Body Image Survey, released on 2/24/14:

"Women spend an average of 55 minutes every day working on their appearance. Let's break that down a little further: That amounts to 335 hours every year or an entire two-week vacation lost to their looks

There's nothing wrong with caring about your appearance, of course. Part of caring for yourself is paying attention to the way you look. But there's a difference between self-care and investing too much of your self -worth in your appearance, and it's a tricky balance to stay on the right side of that line. Obsessing over your appearance is terribly unhealthy, potentially leading to mental health problems like anxiety, depression and disordered eating, decades of research has shown.

The survey found that 60 percent of adult women have negative thoughts about themselves weekly. That's compared to 36 percent of men. Even more alarming: 78 percent of teen girls are plagued with this kind of self-criticism.

Adult women worry more regularly about their appearance (67 percent at least once a week or more) than they do about finances (62 percent), health (49 percent), family/relationships (46 percent) or professional success (40 percent). Men aren't far behind, either, with 53 percent regularly worrying about their appearance. Only finances at 59 percent rank higher among weekly worries for men.

Whether they are engaging in fat talk or old talk, 77 percent of adult women and 80 percent of teen girls complained about their appearance to someone at least once in the past month.

Appearance worries hit moms doubly hard. 73 percent of moms regularly worry about their appearance, compared to 65 percent of women without children. Plus, 57 percent of moms worry about how their own body image affects their children.
Forty-one percent of adult women say that selfies and other flattering online photos make them "feel more confident, but 46 percent say overall, social media makes me feel more self-conscious about my appearance. Sixty-five percent of teen girls say selfies and flattering online pictures make them feel confident, while 55 percent report feeling selfie-conscious.

78 percent of women surveyed said they spent almost an hour a day on their appearance to "feel better about themselves." Looking good seems to be its own reward for women.

Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of millennials (those age 16-34) worry that people are judging their appearance. On the upside, we fret less with age: 51 percent of Gen Xers (ages 35 to 49) and 35 percent of Boomers (ages 50 to 68) share that worry.

Eighty percent of teen girls compare themselves to glamorous celebrity images. Among those, nearly half are left feeling dissatisfied with their appearance. It makes sense that 56 percent of teen girls wish photo-shopping of models and celebrities would stop.

We are certainly our own worst critics. The average woman frets about six body parts, while the average man worries about three. Noted: Nobody likes their stomach with 69 percent of women worrying about their tummies compared to 52 percent of men. For men, thinning hair comes next (24 percent), followed by skin issues (23 percent).

It is not a bad thing to be invested in our appearance," says Jonathan Rudiger, a clinical psychologist in Nashville. "Our physical appearance is very much a part of the self. However, we must avoid investing in our appearance for self-worth. Appearance is only one aspect of the self. In our culture, we spend too much time focused on the external while neglecting the internal."

When asked at what age they felt best about their body, both men and women agreed on the golden age of 27. However, that does not mean our best days are behind us. The good news is that along with wrinkles comes the wisdom to accept them, and body image improves with age. While 80 percent of women under age 24 worry about their appearance regularly, among the 55+ crowd, that number drops to 52 percent.

It's totally normal to not be crazy about every single aspect of your physical self, especially for women, says psychologist Kathryn Gordon, an assistant professor at North Dakota State University. The trouble starts when you begin to obsess over the things you hate about your appearance, says Gordon, who has studied the negative effects of dwelling on body hatred.

There are a couple proven ways to turn down the volume on those negative thoughts:

1. Distract yourself. When you notice yourself headed down a body-hatred shame spiral, sometimes all it takes is consciously trying to shifting your thoughts elsewhere, says Sarah Etu, a clinical psychologist in Fredericksburg, Va., who has published research that suggests distraction can lessen our stress over the way we look. If it's too hard to force yourself to change your thoughts, try doing something active, like doing the dishes, taking a walk or going to the gym.

2. Accept yourself. Teach yourself to appreciate your body for what it can do, not what it looks like. Maybe your ankles are a little cankle-y, but did they carry you across a finish line at a 5K? Maybe your stomach is a little squishy, but did it carry your kids? When we move away from pretty and ugly labels, we can start to appreciate just how amazing our bodies really are," Rudiger says. "When we set healthy goals and stop focusing on what is wrong with our bodies, we can finally start to appreciate life and enjoy our connection to our body."

Because these are the bodies we're stuck with, he says. "We might as well learn to enjoy it and nurture it while we work on changing those unhelpful negative thoughts.

While on the topic of women taking care of themselves, here is a "Pregnancy and Vaccination Pocket Guide" developed by the Minnesota Department of Health. It's always best to keep up with vaccines and get them at the appropriate time. However, exposure to potential pathogens may warrant getting some vaccines while pregnant. Important to keep in mind that some may be contraindicated. Check with your health care provider.

May 12, 2015 - National Women's Health Week - Pledge to be a well woman!

Map your commitment to taking better care of yourself. This year the National Women's Health Week has a webpage in which you choose what you will do to be a well woman. For the General Health of Women:

Get an annual well-woman visit

Get my blood pressure checked

Eat healthy

Maintain a healthy weight

Get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days (65 and older who are fit and have no limiting chronic conditions)

Talk with my doctor about an exercise program that is appropriate (65 and older with low fitness levels or chronic conditions)

Quit smoking or don't start up again

Limit alcohol use

Get a seasonal flu shot

Get a pneumonia shot (65 and older)

Ask what other shots I need

Ask about daily aspirin use

Talk to my doctor about preventing falls

Talk to my doctor about any domestic and interpersonal violence

Talk to my doctor about when I need a Pap and HPV test (65 and younger)

Talk to my doctor about my risk for sexually transmitted infections and need for screening

Happy Mother's Day to all women who believe in the power of nurturing! On this day, take a moment to reflect on how important it is to take care of ourselves so we can continue to nurture those we love!

WHY DO WE HAVE THIS STILL?

"National Women's Health Week is an observance led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health. The goal is to empower women to make their health a priority. National Women's Health Week also serves as a time to help women understand what it means to be well.

What does it mean to be a well woman?
It's a state of mind. It's being as healthy as you can be. And, most importantly, it's about taking steps to improve your physical and mental health:

Visit a health care professional to receive regular checkups and preventive screenings.

April 10, 2015 - April 10th is National Youth HIV &amp AIDS Awareness Day

"

April 9, 2015 - Public Health Expertise Network of Mentors (PHENOM)

Are you looking for a challenging career? Then join a diverse group of public health professionals who work all over the world, protecting mankind from itself and others and championing the beauty and the gift of Nature that is our environment.

Who are public health professionals?

We are health communicators and educators spreading the word about how to live well and long;

We are epidemiologists studying disease while developing strategies to prevent its spread;

We are sanitarians ensuring that our food and water will not make us sick;

We are health care providers working to ensure that everyone can get the preventive services needed to stay healthy, and that the health services provided meet the standards of medical care;

We are policy makers advocating for and developing laws to protect the Public good;

We are disaster preparedness experts supporting the important work of first responders;

We are professors teaching future practitioners the basic principles needed to develop effective interventions that are evidence-based;

We work at all levels of government, and in any organization that share our vision of Public Health; and

We are grass roots advocates and coalition builders interested in empowering communities short on resources;

But, most of all, we collaborate with anyone and everyone to get the work done;

And, we do our best work totally unnoticed, because when the work doesn't get done, you will know it.

Yes, we are all these things and more! Checkout our online directory of 61 Public Health Professionals.

In this most recent table available from the CDC Web site, you can see that unintentional injuries are the most common cause of death for people up to the age of 44, even though it is the 5th overall leading cause of death.

Perhaps, what is even sadder is that that suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among those who are 15 to 34, and the 3rd for those between the ages of 10 and 14. We need to address issues that are putting young people at risk for unintentional injuries and suicide.

Forty percent of adult internet users have personally experienced some variety of online harassment. In this study, online harassment was defined as having had at least one of six incidents personally occur:

According to PEW's "Public Perceptions of Privacy and Security in the Post-Snowden Era" report:

"Most say they want to do more to protect their privacy, but many believe it is not possible to be anonymous online"

Different types of information elicit different levels of sensitivity among Americans

Social security numbers are universally considered to be the most sensitive piece of personal information, while media tastes and purchasing habits are among the least sensitive categories of data.

At the same time that Americans express these broad sensitivities toward various kinds of information, they are actively engaged in negotiating the benefits and risks of sharing this data in their daily interactions with friends, family, co-workers, businesses and government. And even as they feel concerned about the possibility of misinformation circulating online, relatively few report negative experiences tied to their digital footprints.

11% of adults say they have had any bad experiences because embarrassing or inaccurate information was posted about them online.

16% say they have asked someone to remove or correct information about them that was posted online.

Age-adjusted death rates for the 10 leading causes of death: United States, 2012 and 2013
Graphic source: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db178.htm

According to CDC's NCHS Data Brief (Number 178, December 2014) Mortality in the United States, 2013:

"Life expectancy for the U.S. population in 2013 was unchanged from 2012 at 78.8 years."

The age-adjusted death rate of 731.9 per 100,000 standard population did not change significantly from 2012.

The 10 leading causes in 2013 remained the same as in 2012, although unintentional injuries became the fourth leading cause, while stroke became the fifth. Age-adjusted death rates significantly decreased for 4 leading causes and increased for 2.

The infant mortality rate in 2013 of 596.1 infant deaths per 100,000 live births did not change significantly from the rate in 2012. The 10 leading causes of infant death in 2013 remained the same as in 2012, although maternal complications became the third leading cause, while Sudden infant death syndrome became the fourth.

Citation source: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db178.htm

An interesting developing is that Unintentional injuries have moved to 4th place, and stroke is now the 5th leading cause of death. Stroke was the 3rd leading cause of death for many years until Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases became took 3rd place.

Each year we ask marketers to rate the effectiveness of traditional tactics, but this year we also asked them to rate the effectiveness of social media platforms. Similar to what we've seen with traditional tactics, there is uncertainty in terms of effectiveness. LinkedIn is the only platform that the majority of B2B marketers consider to be effective.

"A documented strategy makes a difference, as 84 percent of marketers who say they are ineffective at content marketing said they have no documented strategy. B2B (Business to Business) marketers who have a documented content strategy are far more likely to consider themselves effective (66 percent vs. 11 percent).

Compared to last year, the average number of tactics used has risen from 12 to 13. The use of all tactics has remained fairly consistent, with one standout: Infographics have seen a considerable increase, from 38 percent last year to 51 percent this year. B2B content marketers continue to rate in-person events as the most effective tactic."

According to PEW's "The skills Americans say kids need to succeed in life"

While all Americans were most likely to cite communication and reading skills as most important for today's kids, women were more likely than men to say this. More women said reading skills (88%) matter compared with men (83%), and there was a similar divide on communication skills (92% vs. 88%). On the other hand, men were more likely than women to say that science and math skills were most important. Among men, 63% said science skills were important a figure 9 percentage points higher than women who said the same. Men were also more likely than women to say that math skills were important (81% vs. 76%).

College-educated Americans were more likely to point to communication, writing, logic and science skills as important when compared with those with a high school education or less. For example, 63% of those with a college degree said science skills were most important, compared with 51% of those with a high school education or less. Some 81% of college grads said that writing skills were most important, compared with 70% among those with a high school degree or less.

Older Americans, the cohort who are likely to be grandparents of today's children, are more likely than younger adults to say it is important to stick with science and math. Some 64% of adults ages 50 and older say science skills are important to get ahead, compared with just over half (54%) of younger adults. There was a similar gap between older and younger adults when it comes to math skills (83% vs. 74%) and a smaller gap on reading skills (88% vs. 84%). Younger adults put a higher emphasis on logic, with 77% saying it was important for kids to get ahead compared with 71% of adults ages 50 and older who said the same.

According to PEW's "The skills Americans say kids need to succeed in life"

Pew Research Center recently asked a national sample of adults to select among a list of 10 skills: Regardless of whether or not you think these skills are good to have, which ones do you think are most important for children to get ahead in the world today?

The answer was clear. Across the board, more respondents said communication skills were most important, followed by reading, math, teamwork, writing and logic. Science fell somewhere in the middle, with more than half of Americans saying it was important.

Rounding out the bottom were skills more associated with kids extracurricular activities: art, music (sorry, right-brained people) and athletics. There was virtually no difference in the responses based on whether the person was a parent of a child aged 18 and younger or not.

The PEW Research Center summarizes their most striking 2014 findings from the many surveys they have conducted in the past year.

"Americans are now more attached to their cellphones and internet access than their televisions or landline telephones, marking a shift in their communications habits since 2006. Over half of internet users now say the internet would be very hard to give up. And among this devoted group, 61% say the internet is essential to them, either for work or other reasons. Translated to the whole population, 39% of all Americans feel they absolutely need to have internet access.

While privacy issues continue to pervade public policy debates after recent hacking incidents and amid the emergence of tech products that use consumer tracking data 91% of Americans agree or strongly agree that consumers have lost control over how their personal information is collected and used by private companies."

The PEW Research Center summarizes their most striking 2014 findings from the many surveys they have conducted in the past year.

"The earnings gap between young adults with a bachelor's degree or higher and those without has never been greater in the modern era, despite soaring student debt and high youth unemployment.

In 1979, when the first wave of Baby Boomers were the same age that Millennials are today, the typical high school graduate earned about three-quarters (77%) of what a college graduate made. Today, Millennials with only a high school diploma earn 62% of what the typical college graduate earns.

After decades of declining marriage rates and changes in family structure, the share of American adults who have never been married is at an historic high. In 2012, one-in-five adults ages 25 and older had never been married. Men are more likely than women to have never been married. And this gender gap has widened since 1960.

The Great Recession was hard on all American families. But even as the economic recovery has begun to mend asset prices, not all households have benefited alike, and wealth inequality has widened along racial and ethnic lines. The median wealth of white households was 13 times the wealth of black households and 10 times that of Hispanic households in 2013, compared with eight and nine times the wealth in 2010, respectively."

Here is a chart from Vox.com's "21 charts that explain how the US" that looked at educational attainment by gender. It appears that for every age group more women than men have earned a bachelor's degree or higher, except for the 65+ age group.

The lower number for 65+ women reflects a cohort effect as many women who are now 65 or older just didn't go to college because when they were young women were not expected to earn a college degree. Plus, there were many job opportunities that did not require a college education, which is not true today.

It is no longer enough to have earned a college degree, but just as important to learn be open to the possibility of learning newer skills that will be needed in the foreseeable future. It is unlikely many of us working today will have the luxury that our parents and grandparents had - work for decades with the same employer and retire with a pension. The recession that took place between December 2007 and ended in June 2009 took care that.

According to the 2010 Wall Street Journal article, "Seven Careers in a Lifetime? Think Twice, Researchers Say" a career counselor notes,"the typical person has six to seven careers, and the number is growing." (http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704206804575468162805877990)

March 6, 2015 - U.S. Educational Attainment 1960 - 2013

Graphic source: http://www.vox.com/a/how-the-us-is-changing

Here is a chart from Vox.com's "21 charts that explain how the US" that looked at educational attainment from 1960 to 2013. Over this 50+ year period, the number of people who went on to earn a college degree has increased. It is close to impossible these days to expect to find a job that pays a decent wage without a high school diploma.

March 5, 2015 - 2012 - 2022 U.S. Jobs Outlook

Graphic source: http://www.vox.com/a/how-the-us-is-changing

Charting data makes all that information so much easier to digest. Here is a chart from Vox.com's "21 charts that explain how the US" that looks at jobs outlook.

Over the 10-year period, between 2012-2022, the demand for personal services (home health and personal aides) will be high, whereas the demand for bookkeepers, accounting and auditing clerks will be low, in terms of the number of jobs that will be available in these areas.

These projections make sense because there will be more baby boomers reaching their twilight years in the coming decade in which they will be requiring more assistance as they get older.

According to Marketingcharts.com's "Who's Using Which Social Networks?":

"Only 15% of US adults say they are not a member of any social networks, finds YouGov in a newly-released survey, with this figure higher among men (18%) than women (12%).

Consistent with most research on the topic, women lead men in stated adoption of most social networks, with LinkedIn and Google+ the exceptions among the larger platforms.

Facebook is still by far the largest social network, with three-quarters of adults (80% of women, 70% of men) reporting being members. The second-tier, by penetration, consists of Twitter (31%), Google+ (29%) and LinkedIn (28%).

While men and women reported roughly equal use of Twitter, men were slightly ahead in Google+ use (31% vs. 28%), with the gap larger on LinkedIn (30% vs. 25%).

Rounding out the top 5 is Pinterest, with 18% stated adoption (28% among women; 9% among men), followed by the fast-growing Instagram (13%). While Instagram recently said it passed 300 million monthly active users (which would be more than Twitter's total), its audience leans more heavily towards teens (excluded from the YouGov survey) and it also has a strong international base (also excluded from the YouGov survey)."

Well, here is the final report on E-mails for 2014. Having 3 years' worth of data is great, and so this is a summary slide. As you can see that the number of E-mails (regular and spam) have been slowly increasing ever since 2012.

Since I am such a glutton for punishment I have already committed myself to tracking my 2015 E-mails. Why stop now? It will be interesting to see whether or not I will be buried with E-mail this year! Stay tuned.

February 23, 2015 - 2012-214 E-mail Stats, Part IV

Having 3 years' worth of data is great, and so this is a summary slide. The bad news is the percentage of spam has increased between 2012 to 2014. Just think, for every 100 E-mails I get, 49.9 of them (HALF) are spam!

Additional bad news is the number of E-mails I am getting is increasing, from an average of 296 per day in 2012 to 305 per day in 2013, to 336 in 2014!

February 20, 2015 - 2012-2014 E-mail Stats, Part III

For the past two days I have been talking about how many E-mails I got in 2014. Since I have been doing this for three years, I can now do some comparisons between 2012 and 2014! This is better than nothing. Probably having 5 years' worth of data will be more useful, but this does offer a little more information than just having two years of data.

For 2014, there were 6 months in which the percentage of spam was 50% or greater (February, May, June, September, October, November), whereas this occurred only for 2 months in 2013 (July and December), and 4 months in 2012 (April, May, November and December).

Just when I thought it was getting better, between 2012 and 2013, it has gotten worse for 2014! November has emerged as the "spammiest" month in 2014, displacing December's distinction for 2012 and 2013.

Here is another way of looking at those 122,819 E-mails. While the total E-mails averaged out to about 336 E-mails a day, of which 49.9% was spam, there were monthly variations, probably due to the fact that some months have 30 days and others have 31 days. I got the most E-mails in October (12,038) [AGAIN] with an average of 388 E-mails a day. This was followed by the month of November [AGAIN] with 11,383 E-mails, for an average of 379!

I got the most spam during November (vs. December 2013). About 55% of the E-mails I got were spam, for a total of 6,189 spam E-mails. So, last year I was wondering if 2013's statistics were a fluke, well, they were not!

Here is an interesting graphic that I have shared with my class. As much as we would like to believe that using electronic devices make us more productive, the truth of the matter is they are basically time wasters.

According to Flurry's analysis of 2014's mobile usage, most of what we have on electronic devices do not contribute to productivity. In fact, only 4% of what we have on those devices is devoted to productivity. 'nuff said.

For Health Literacy Month, the Healthliteracymonth.org is accepting stories from any person who or organization that addresses health literacy in their work. There is a listing of those who have submitted their stories.

It is hard to believe that it has been 15 years since I published the first webpages that turned into this Web site. Many thanks to the thousands of visitors who contributed millions of hits during the past 15 years, and for all the nice comments along the way. I will continue to strive to make this Web site a worthwhile place to spend your time and find credible public health and health information. Thank you so much!